In the 10th minute of the match against Chivas USA on 12th April 2014, the Portland will cross the 10,000 minute barrier for regulation time played in MLS (including postseason). Continue reading The Road to 10K→

An unexpected benefit of our bad luck in defense is that Jean-Baptiste has probably gotten more games than he would’ve done if things had gone according to plan. He’s still raw, but I think the point you make about his ability to come back stronger from setbacks is key. He’s got a good coach working on him, and he gets to work with/talk to the likes of Kah and Silvestre, who can mentor him and give him the benefit of years of soccer at high levels, but all that would be for nothing if he crumbled or hid after making a mistake because without that character, you’ll never be a player that can relied on when the pressure is on and a trophy are [sic] on the line.

The off season lumbers on with the owner poking at a wound that fans thought had scabbed over, but it turns out might still be a little raw underneath, and the league patting itself on the back with an awards season that even Grammy organizers think is getting a bit too niche. The players are all off doing whatever it is they do when they’re not kicking a ball about most days and the fans are entertaining themselves in the only way they know how when there is no football to focus them: stoking the drama fire to keep out the cold.

The backroom staff will be working though. The work for 2014 doesn’t begin here, those wheels have been in motion for a long time, but it certainly ramps up a notch as Caleb Porter and, yes Merritt, Gavin Wilkinson start to push pieces across the table, charting the march to silverware liked generals in an old World War II war room. Continue reading Evolutionary, My Dear Wilkinson→

Some of you noticed the Indiegogo campaign I started to fund the site through 2014. After a couple of people had mentioned the possibility of crowdfunding, I thought I’d put it up and there and see what came of it not really expecting much – maybe enough to pay for a few months hosting or suchlike. Thinking it may build up a dollar here, or a couple there, I set January 25th 2014 as the closing date and went back to chasing after kids, and trying to brush up on math principles I haven’t thought about in nearly 15 years in preparation of going back to college.

Then it all went a bit crazy.

The next day I checked in to see we’d blown past the $200 “real” target I’d set for myself. Then we went past $500. Way beyond my wildest expectations. Way beyond.

So, long story short: yes, the site will be back next year. You can check out the indiegogo page for an idea of what the site will be like next year (basically, more long in-depth tactical, statistical and just plain emotional pieces from a variety of talented Timbers fans and creators) The extra money allows me to spend a bit more to ensure there’s no more “downtime” and the little extras that allow me to follow the Timbers online and off, as well setting aside some for other plans and projects down the line (podcast and e/book, primarily).

Given that there’s no football to talk about (and let’s face it, you get your Timbers news elsewhere) and that’s we’ve already blasted past the target, it allows me to get a jumpstart on laying the groundwork on the new site, ready to launch fully in Jan 2014.

Oh, and for those who have taken me up on the, ahem, campaign “perk”… Well, I’ll be in touch soon to see what I can do for you!

Thanks again to all those who have supported the site this year, and especially to those that are supporting it for next year,
Kevin

PS – I’ll still be whittling away here until the new year (and others are welcome to contribute in the meantime, or in preparation of the re-relaunch) when we’ll move over the shiny new webspace, so keep us in your bookmarks till then!